Drive-through

This game's new version offers several racing modes, but the real fun is in the Fight to the Top mode, which lets you start as a rookie driver in the Whelen Modified Series and slowly work your way up through the Craftsman Trucks and NBS series until you're offered a contract to drive for a NEXTEL Cup team. Along the way you earn money, fans and a reputation as a Villain or a Hero. The big problem is, you have to learn how to do all this essentially on your own.

A lack of tutorials and a piss-poor manual are significant issues throughout the entire game. You just jump in the car and drive, turning in godawful time after godawful time until you finally get the hang of it yourself.

On the plus side, the sound effects are great, as are little visual nuances like dynamic lighting that can temporarily blind you. Once you've struggled through acquiring all the knowledge, NASCAR 07 becomes an addictive game.